George WeigelPrune branches to the outside of the ring or "branch collar."

Q: Is this the time to cut off the lower limbs of my 5-year-old trident maple? I didn't want to stress it so much last summer, so I didn't prune it all then.

A: This would be an excellent time to do the deed!

The tree is dormant, the energy used in healing the wounds won't be competing with energy needed for growth, and it's early enough that the sap isn't flowing like early spring, which means a less-messy job and no worry about attracting bugs to the sweet sap.

Cut away -- just back to the outer edge of the little rings (branch collar) where the branches attach to the trunk.